Thousands line up in the rain to pay respects to Maggie Daley

Thousands of friends and other mourners formed a line around the Chicago Cultural Center on Michigan Avenue on Sunday to pay their respects to the Daley family and honor Maggie Daley, the city's former first lady who died Thanksgiving evening after battling cancer.

With umbrellas in hand, old friends and many who had never met Mrs. Daley, talked about their relationship with and affection for the woman whom Mayor Rahm Emanuel described as “the heart of the city.”

U.S. Sen. Richard Durbin pulled out his cellphone to show a picture of a proud Mrs. Daley with her grandchildren at Old St. Pat's Church at a St. Patrick's Day celebration. In the photo, bagpipers were about to march down the aisle and the children were peeking around the pew to see them.

“It was one of those moments — you knew they were her joy,” said Mr. Durbin, who was among the numerous politicos (including former Gov. Rod Blagojevich) who attended the wake to shake hands and offer kind words to former Mayor Richard M. Daley and his three children: Nora, Lally and Patrick.

The four Daleys stood at the east end of Preston Bradley Hall and shook hands with the thousands who had waited in a line that went around the building and down Randolph Street. Standing close by Mr. Daley were his brothers: Bill Daley, the White House chief of staff, and John Daley, a Cook County Board commissioner.

Mrs. Daley's casket was covered in white flowers. On display was an enlarged print of the photo above, showing her surrounded by art done by children involved in the After School Matters program, which she founded.

“That's what it's all about,” Mr. Daley said to mourners who walked through the line. “She was passionate about that program.”

At the other end of the room were dozens of flowers sent by friends, business executives and political dignitaries, many of whom congregated in a private room away from the general public. Some, like Mr. Durbin, waited with the crowds in the rain. When he entered the Cultural Center and was recognized by family, Bill Daley, pulled the U.S. senator aside to join the VIPs.

Mr. Emanuel's chief of staff, Theresa Mintle, and Michelle Boone, head of the city's Cultural Affairs department, were among a group of current mayoral staffers guiding dignitaries and others around the long row of flowers and electronic memorial books.

Philanthropist and arts patron Susan Manilow, who stood in line with her husband, Lewis Manilow, and brother- and sister-in-law Michael and Madeline Rosenberg, said it was Mrs. Daley's smile that won over so many. “Anyone who went through what she did with that smile, grace and poise — it's a remarkable tribute to who she is.”

Everett Rand, owner of Midway Airport Concessions and host of the Chicago Football Classic, credited Mrs. Daley with seeing projects like Millennium Park (he pointed across the street) to fruition. “She knew how to bring the business and civic worlds together,” he said.

Sheila O'Grady, a former aide to Mr. Daley who now heads the Illinois Restaurant Assn., recalled Mrs. Daley as a caring woman. “I remember when my mother died. I worked for the mayor at the time. It was months later around Mother's Day and she (Mrs. Daley) sent me a note. She had so much empathy.”

Paul LaSchiazza, president of AT&T Illinois, remembered Mrs. Daley for making him and his wife, Cynthia, feel welcome when they moved to Chicago. “She knew that coming to Chicago and meeting the powerful mayor could be intimidating, and she wanted to mitigate any apprehensions. She offered to introduce us around. She wanted to be helpful in making us welcome,” he said.

Trisha Lynch stood in line with her husband, Jack, and friends Jean and Jack Miller and Dennis and Ronnie Mudd. The couples have been friends with the Daleys for decades — they even attended their wedding in Pittsburgh in 1972.

“She had so much on her mind all the time, but she always had time for our family,” said Ms. Lynch, who recalled Ms. Daley giving her daughter (Mrs. Daley's goddaughter) a book of Irish blessings. “My daughter reads from it all the time.”

Other close friends in attendance included Sue Leonis and Terry Newman, partner at law firm Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP, where Mr. Daley is now of counsel.

Former Playboy CEO Christie Hefner was there with her husband, real estate investor Bill Marovitz. Before the memorial, she talked to me for my Taking Names column about what Mrs. Daley meant to the community.

And among the many paying respects: public relations consultant Dori Wilson; Joe Ahern, executive director of the 100 Club; Jenny Bienemann, director of development at Lookingglass Theatre Company; Andre Rice, president of Muller & Monroe Asset Management LLC, and his daughter, Alexa Rice; Lori Healey, Mr. Daley's former chief of staff and now head of fundraising for the Nato/G-8 summits; and Jason Erkes, president of Chicago Sport & Social.

The wake was held until 10 p.m. The funeral is Monday at 10:30 a.m. at Old St. Patrick's Church, 700 W. Adams St. in Chicago.